UTSA concludes regular season with Thursday sweep at San Jose State

SAN JOSE, Calif. — UTSA closed out its regular season with a Thursday sweep at San Jose State (25-19, 25-19, 25-15) and won its seventh consecutive match in the process.

The Roadrunners (20-8, 13-5 WAC), who hit at a .360 clip, were led by junior McKenzie Adams' 19th double-double of the season (match-high 17 kills/12 digs). Meanwhile, junior Brandy Huskey just missed a double-double by one dig after handing out a match-best 42 assists and senior Whitney Walls chipped in with a dozen winners.

UTSA took control of the match early with a .293 hitting percentage on the strength of seven kills from Adams.

The Roadrunners led from the opening serve and never looked back. UTSA opened up a 4-1 advantage after an Adams kill. The Birds then increased their lead to 21-15 before splitting the final eight points for the first set win.

Sophomore Dempsey Thornton sent UTSA into the locker room with a commanding 2-0 advantage after netting five kills in the second panel.

With the score tied at 11, the Roadrunners ripped off three consecutive points to pull ahead. The Spartans pulled to within two, but the Birds pushed their lead to 20-16 before winning five of the final eight points.

UTSA continued to roll by hitting at a .633 clip in an errorless third and final set.

The Roadrunners won the first four points and cruised the rest of the way. The Birds increased their advantage to 23-14 after a Huskey kill and a service ace from junior Paige Hamilton. Following an Adams winner and a San Jose State kill, the Roadrunners closed out the contest when senior Brittney Malloy sliced a cross-court winner past a pair of Spartans defenders.

UTSA will enter next week's Western Athletic Conference Tournament, which will be played at the Convocation Center, as the No. 3 seed. The Roadrunners finished the campaign in a second-place tie with Idaho, but the Vandals received the event's second seed following a draw after all other tie-breaking options were exhausted. The Roadrunners will take on sixth-seeded San Jose State once again in the opening match of the tournament, which is slated for noon on Monday, Nov. 19.